Happiness Is...

Being a goose in a pond-er- kiddie pool.

Click the pic to watch the movie.

Halloween Recap

Well, Halloween is over.  It was a good one, very different from any other we've had.  Instead of just really sticking to Trick or Treating to be our Halloween, we went out and had fun in lots of other ways.  This is what we did:

Friday, we went to the Halloween Haunt at school.  Very spooky, and got to try out our costumes.

We did crafts, played games, walked through a haunted hallway, and saw a magic show.

Saturday, we carved pumpkins

Some of us do not mind pumpkin guts

Some of us do

It resulted in some nice pumpkins, nonetheless

Though one was somewhat anti-social

Sunday, we walked in a parade in town

Saw some people we knew

Strange, strange people

(bet ya thought I didn't catch that, didn't ya?)

Got faces painted, froze and then went home.

Yes, we did trick or treat, but not too much.  It was loads of fun, though.  PB went all out.  Very cool. 

All in all, a great weekend!  Thanks for coming along for the ride!

Why I never order retakes

'Cause how can you get genuine awkwardness if they're forwarned??

Blackmail, baby.  Blackmail.

Tour Time!

Let's go for a tour of the old (new) homestead, shall we??

Let's put on our "work" shoes...  (hint, hint, need new workshoes.  Like boots.  Birthday coming....hint, hint, hint)

.....and go for a stroll.

  Oh look, chickens.

Pretty trees....

Coming up on the mega wood pile....

Around back of the chicken coop.  (artsy shot here)....

Better look at the mega wood pile....

Around the pool.... (and chickens)

To the garden that's sleeping and waiting for Spring.....

Ah, compost pile....



Pretty colors....

Child crouching in the orchard....

Around the front.....

To the driveway....

Same child, uncrouched, and holding a chicken.....

Geese in the driveway....

Back around the side....

And into the woods....

To the stream.

And then back inside, to make dinner. 

Quite possibly...

the world's cutest Tiger Scout.

Of course, I may be slightly partial.

Synchronized Sleeping

I think we really need to give them a hand here.

Not only are they sleeping the same way, but they are sleeping on the same leg, too.

Now that's talent, no matter what you say.

Yeah, they do do this a lot, if that's your next question.  I have come to the conclusion that it's their way of being close to me when I'm in the house and they can't reach me.  I realized this when I noticed that if they see I'm in the living room, they sit on the front porch, and if they see I'm in the kitchen, they sit on the back deck.

Pretty sweet, when you think about it.  Not to mention pretty freaking smart.

Belated Revelations

I never really have considered myself a girly girl.  I'm not really at peace unless I'm in the dirt, planting, or helping something I've planted to grow.  I am all for trekking through the woods, I don't mind cleaning animal poo, and sitting in the grass with the bugs seems just right to me.  I don't think you'll ever find that I care what I wear anymore, unless I'm going somewhere I need to be presentable, and I almost never wear makeup unless the situation calls for it.  I gave up on getting my nails done back in my teens.  So I was surprised today to see what I saw in myself. 

I finished work on the pillow shams that go with our bedroom quilt today.  I finished the quilt last week, and wanted to make the shams to go with it.  So I did.  Then I put them on the bed, and this is what I saw:

Flowers.  Girly, girly, flowers.

(And fat cats, but that's not really the point I'm trying to make here.)

And then I thought about the fact that I'm not the only one in this room.  I do, in fact, share it with a man.  What is he going to think?

I know exactly what he's going to think.  He'll look at it and tell me it's pretty.  Then he'll tell me that I make the house so comfortable.  He won't say one word about the girly flowers, not one.  I don't even think he'll really notice.

We just celebrated our 11th anniversary.  11th.  huh.  For 11 years, this man has put up with me and my girly flowers.  And not said a word.  Now that's really something.  So, this post is for you, honey.  I don't know if anyone really wonders how this lasted as long as it did, but if they do wonder, all I would have to say is; how could it not?  I don't know anyone else who would put up with my chicken obsession, my too many houseplants, too much fabric, too many projects at once, earth-saver wannabe, smacking you in the head in the middle of the night because I had a bad dream....about ducks (sorry) self.  No one else would deal with it.  No one.

I know you say you are lucky all the time, but I'm lucky too.  Thank  you for making me lucky, honey.  Thank you for putting up with me and all my weirdness.  And my girly, girly flowers. 

Happy Anniversary.